Paul F. Langer is a German economist with a focus on transformation, digital innovations, and path dependencies. He works at the German University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer, where he researches and publishes on digital transformation and innovation in the private and public sectors.
He studied economics at the University of Freiburg, Germany (BSc) and the University of St. Andrews, UK (MSc). His doctoral thesis was devoted to vendor lock-in in software markets. Over the years, he gained international experience through various projects with extended stays in Colombia, Turkey, Serbia, and Uganda.
Besides his research, he is active in various organizations mostly in the area of education. Among others, he is the managing director of both the European Danube Academy and DENK GLOBAL. Moreover, he is the founder of and still involved in the natural care company balmyou GmbH & Co KG and the consultancy CONCIVIS GmbH. His initiatives and ventures deal mostly with the challenges of globalization and, especially, the green transformation of the economy.
Project: “Turkey's and Europe's efforts for a convergent climate policy”
To address climate change, the economy and society must reach a level of greenhouse gas emissions where as much as is released is absorbed by nature. The scale of change is certainly extensive, but often not clear in specifics. Thus, the concrete challenges remain unclear for a large number of people. With this in mind, my project aims to provide more visibility into the current situation in Turkey. Specifically, I want to show in an appealing and public light how much climate-related externalities lie in the various processes of the economy and in private life.
In a second step, I would like to estimate the specific costs of the transition. Alternatives to climate-harming practices become attractive when externalities are priced accordingly. Based on existing research, I would like to identify specific incentive schemes in the form of subsidies or emission taxes that need to be introduced in Turkey in order for adaptation to be perceived as a rational choice. Adaptation to a climate-neutral society can only succeed with strong participation and, ultimately, with the clear conviction of a large proportion of citizens, especially when it comes to cost-intensive adaptation processes. Therefore, I will use events and media publications to present my findings.